AIDS test could be coming to a drugstore near you

MOBILE, Alabama -- A new pilot program aims to put a 20-minute AIDS test in drugstores with a goal of making them as common as a blood pressure check, the Associated Press is reporting.

A $1.2 million program will offer free rapid HIV tests at pharmacies and in-store clinics in 24 cities and rural communities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday in Atlanta.

"We believe we can reach more people by making testing more accessible and reduce the stigma associated with HIV," Dr. Kevin Fenton, who oversees the agency's HIV prevention programs, said in a written statement.

The tests are available already in areas that include Washington, D.C., Oakland, Calif., and an Indian health service clinic in Montana.